What does soil organic matter mean? What are its functions?
Release Date:
2019-06-19
Soil organic matter is more important than nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. As you may know, in recent years China has vigorously promoted the increased use of organic fertilizers, whose greatest advantage is their high organic‑matter content. According to China’s standards for commercial organic fertilizers, the organic‑matter content must be at least 45%. Therefore, applying more organic fertilizer can help replenish soil organic matter.
What does soil organic matter mean? What are its functions?
Soil organic matter is more important than nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. As you may know, in recent years China has vigorously promoted the increased use of organic fertilizers, whose greatest advantage lies in their high organic‑matter content. According to China’s standards for commercial organic fertilizers, the organic‑matter content must be at least 45%. Therefore, applying more organic fertilizer can help replenish soil organic matter.
What are the functions of soil organic matter?
1. Promote crop growth and development.
Humic acids in soil organic matter can enhance plant respiration, increase cell membrane permeability, and improve the uptake of nutrients. Meanwhile, vitamins and certain bioactive hormones present in organic matter can promote plant growth and development.
2. Improve soil conditions
Organic matter is the primary cementing agent of soil aggregates. Soil organic colloids serve as the binding material that forms water-stable structural units. Consequently, they facilitate the development of a well‑structured soil, thereby modifying pore conditions and the water–air ratio, and promoting appropriate soil sealing. The cohesive strength of soil organic matter is much lower than that of clay—only a small fraction of clay’s value. On the one hand, this reduces the stickiness of clayey soils, lowers tillage resistance, and enhances tillage quality; on the other hand, it improves the aggregation of sandy soils, mitigating their tendency to become overly loose.
3. Enhance soil fertility, as well as its ability to retain nutrients and buffer against environmental stresses.
Organic colloids in soil organic matter carry a large negative charge, exhibit strong adsorption capacity, and can absorb substantial amounts of cations and water. Their cation-exchange capacity and water-holding ability are several to even dozens of times greater than those of clay, thereby enhancing the soil’s ability to retain fertility and moisture and improving its buffering capacity against pH changes.
4. Soil organic matter content is critical for the survival of beneficial soil microorganisms. It is not only a stable, long‑term substance with vital functions but also contains nearly all the nutrients required by crops and microorganisms. Consequently, in areas where soil organic matter is deficient, beneficial microorganisms are naturally scarce, while harmful microorganisms tend to predominate—this is a major factor contributing to the increased incidence of crop diseases.
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